Ingredients

Quantity

Ingredient

225g

self-raising flour, plus extra to dust

1/2 teaspoon

salt

60g

butter

30g

caster sugar

150ml

milk

1

egg, (optional)

To serve

Quantity

Ingredient

clotted cream or butter

strawberry jam

Method

Heat the oven to 220°C. Sift a little flour over a baking sheet. Sift the flour into a large bowl with the salt. Cut the butter into 1 cm cubes and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre. Pour in the milk and stir briskly using a cutlery knife until the dough starts to come together. Gather the dough with your hands; it should be soft and spongy. Avoid overworking or kneading, which can make the scones tough. Add a little more milk if the dough is too dry, but not too much as a very wet dough results in heavy, dense scones.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat or roll out to no less than a 3 cm thickness. Dip a 5–6 cm pastry cutter in flour and cut out the scones, getting as many as possible out of the dough. To ensure an even rise, cut firmly and avoid twisting the cutter as you release the scone. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Push the cut dough back together (rather than squash it into a ball), and cut out more scones; these may not be quite as tender as the first rolled batch.

For a glossy crust, beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork, sieve it, then use to brush the top of the scones. Alternatively, for a soft crust, sprinkle with flour. Bake in the top third of the oven for 15–18 minutes, or until the scones are well risen and golden brown on top. Transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or allow to cool, before eating with clotted cream or butter and strawberry jam.

Variations

Cheese scones: Reduce the butter by half and omit the sugar. Add 75 g strongly flavoured grated cheese, such as Cheddar, Gruyère or Parmesan, along with a pinch each of English mustard powder and cayenne pepper, before the milk.